Airplane



April ,1935. D. J. DOLAN 1,996,281

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D. J. DOLAN -April 2, 1935.

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AIRPLANE Filed Sept. 4, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 2, 1935 p1,996,281

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIRPLANE David J. Dolan, Cleveland, outApplication September 4, 1931, Serial No. 561,290

8 Claims. (Cl. 24414) This invention relates in general to aeronaulengthof the wing, the recoil action and torque tics and is more particularlyconcerned with an efl'ects will be reduced to a minimum. internalcombustion engine of such design and It is a further object to provide,as a novel wing character as to form a structural part of theairstructure, fuel tank wing sections detachably con-- craft with whichit is designed to be used. nectable to the outer ends of themotor'bearing 5 It is the purpose of this invention to design an wingsections, thus minimizing, by their location, airplane in which theengine is constructed and the danger of fire hazard to the occupants ofthe positioned in such a manner that its weight is craft. distributedthroughout substantially the entire ef- Another object obtained by thisinvention is flcient supporting surface of the airplane, the enthesafety factor provided by the rigidity of wing 10 gine, itself, formingan important part of the instructure afiorded by the engine. Thisrigidity terior structure of said supporting surface. Such will preventdestruction of the Wing in cases of an engine is the horizontal, doubleopposed, twop pe failure a d will minimize the hazards of cycled Dieselengine disclosed in my co-pending a crash landing.

15 application Serial Number 507,780, filed January till a furth r j tof th s invention is to 15 10, 1931, of which this application is acontinuao ide a w s tu e o such dity that the ti in part, positioning ofthe landing geanmay be that of It is a further object of this inventionto use my n nc in design rather than f necessity engine as an integralpart of the interior wing required in Supporting centrated motorstructure thus providing for perfect streamline of Weightsr 20 the engia, feat; whi h w ld b dlm lt, of Another object of this invention isthat this complishment with a large bore, long stroke, enengine is SoConformed to the natural characgine of conventional design. The use ofmy entenstics f a large sup t s a t a in gine will permit of the use oflarge bores, the enroom can readily be constructed Permitting vgineapproximating in depth the depth of the icing in fli t. Such en ne r msmay be n- 25 wing, and the long stroke feature will lend rigid- Structodon pp i Sides f h ral iity t th ti wing structure tudinal axis of theplane leaving the center of the It is another object of my invention touse my w available for r up n t w, passengers engine as interior wingbracing to the end that and a o at the app oximate ce ter o rav y 80important elements of normal wing structure of the craft. such as one ormore spars, ribs and cross braces It is Still a further object of myinvention may be dispensed with, thus reducing the total to provide anengine such that all stresses created weight of th crafi; by it areneutralized by counter forces of the It is a further object of myinvention, in so dissome ordertributing the weight of my engine, toavoid the It is Still a further object to devise f r his 35 bendingstresses and resultant necessary support- Purpose Such an n ine as isuseable either as a ing structure required when the weight is localizedunit or as one of a Series of units t can be as is the case whenconventional engines are used. p d h r to Syn hronize either as a wholeA further object of my invention is to obtain in any p r eries of units.

i oved airplane performance by a more even Other objects of my inventionwill be found in 40 distribution of weight in its relation to supportthefollowing p cification and claims and will jng areas be disclosed in theaccompanying drawings in It is still another object of my invention to omount my engine so that its major dimension ex- Figure 1 1S a p r p iv Vw of an plane t d longitudinally of th wing ith it kconstructed inaccordance with my invention, 45 shaft, or crank shafts, extendingtransversely Ports of the Plane being broken. y in the d awthereto, topermit of the use of the long stroke, lugs to dis s the general p an fmy ass m ly; large bore, Diesel engine, the wing covering and Figure 2is odetail, also in P p c S ow substructure forming part of thecrank-case of the Wing Section fuel tank, the t od of its 60 t englneassembly with the main wing section and the It is still a further objectof this invention to so method of attaching the aileron surface to saidmount my engine that its torque reaction and ank Section; V I torquerecoil will be resisted by the engine Figure 3 is a front elevation of aportion of my throughout its entire length; and hence, since the enginedisclosing my opposed cylinder arrangeengine extends substantiallythroughout the ment, partly shown in section, and the arrange- 5/ mentof. the crank shaft and connecting rods;

Figure 4 is a view similar to that .shown in Figure 3 and disclosing thedetails of the cross head connections;

Figure 5 is an end view of a modification of my engine, disclosing thecylinder and compressor plan and the method of connection to the crankcase and wing structure;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of two of my engines, such as are shown inFigure 5, combined in tandem and disclosing the details of the crosshead shoes on the cross'head plate;

Figure 7 is a central vertical section taken through the crank shaft online 7-1 of Figure 1, disclosing the method of securing the cylinders tothe wing structure;

Figure 8 is a detail in top plan view with parts broken away, disclosingthe fuel tank attached to the main wing section;

Figure 9 is a modification of Figure 8, disclosing an additionalintermediate wing section providing a space useable for baggage;

Figure 10 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, disclosing myinvention as applied to a plane having a plurality of engine unitsdriving separate propellers and spaced by a central compartment forpassengers, crew, and cargo;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the disposition of apair of my engines disposed end to end longitudinally of their cylindersand fixed rigidly with respect to each other.

Referring now with greater particularity to the drawings, and havingreference first to Figure 1, it will be seen that my device is comprisedas follows.

An airplane I, disclosed in this figure as a monoplane, has a suitablefuselage 2, and a wing, or wings, 3. The wing 3 has a main supportingsection 4, and outer sections 5 designed for use as fuel tanks. Thesefuel tanks are detachably securable, as shown in Figures 1, 8 and 9, tothe main supporting section by means of bolts 6. At 1 are shown theaileron control surfaces detachably connectable at 8.to the fuel tanksections. In Figure 9 another wing section 9 is intended for use as alight baggage compartment.

A suitable landing gear I0 is provided. This landing gear may beattached at any point suitable to the design of the airplane as a whole,as will hereinafter be disclosed, and need not be placed at anyparticular points of the engine weight concentration. The wing is,preferably of metallic construction having a metal covering H, and aprimary internal brace and strength structure comprised of the engine [2disposed with its major dimension, its length from cylinder end to itsfarthest opposed cylinder end, longitudinally of the wing itself. Theengine, or engines, are of such length as to extend throughoutsubstantially the entire length of the main efiicient lifting surface ofthe wing. Intermediate of the metal skin covering I haye disclosed, as apart of the supplementary interior bracing, a plurality of I-beams l3extending longitudinally of the wing and secured to the engine cylindersfrom point to point as will be described hereinafter. Outward of theengine cylinders these beams are secured to the metal wing covering. Asthis specification progresses it will be seen that the engine itselfforms the principal interior brace structure of the wing, the I-beamsserving as supplementary brace means and as means for securing thecovering H to the engine. In my device the wing will be, of necessity,assembled about the engine.

Having reference now particularly to Figures 3, 4, 5 and 7, it will beseen that my engine has a. horizontal crank-shaft l5 extendingtransversely of the wing and mounted in suitable bearings l6. At leastone. and, if desirable, as in Figure 7. both ends of this crank shaftterminate in propeller shafts I! for mounting a propeller I'Ia. Suitablepropeller shaft bearings i 8 are provided. The bearings I1 are formed orsupported in members I9 which are secured to the I-beams to form a partof the substructure. Above and below the crank shaft and beyond thecranks thereof, are located two or more pairs of cylinders 20. In Figure6 I have disclosed four pairs of such cylinders. Each of these cylindershas a central head portion 2! secured to the structure IS. Thecrank-shaft is in the plane of these four head portions. The ends of thecylinders 20 are open and a composite piston 22 is arranged to bereciprocated therein. Thus eight combustion chambers are formed for eachdouble pair of cylinders 20, one on each side of the combustion head.Opposite the end of each cylinder 20 secured at its head end tosubstructure l9a, and aligned with said cylinder 20, is another cylinder23 in which the other end of the composite piston 22 is reciprocated.The

head end 23a of each of these cylinders is secured to substructure 19a.The composite piston 22 is composed of pistons 24 and 25, cylindricalspacers 26, piston rods 21 and a centrally disposed member 28 to whichthe rods 21 are secured.

Extending parallel with the crank-shaft between each corresponding pairof cylinders in the same horizontal plane is a cross head member 29. Aconnecting rod 30 connects each of the cross-heads with one of thecranks 3| of th crank-shaft l5.

As indicated in Figures 5 and 6, preferably, one of the cranks 31a, islocated in the central vertical plane, and the other crank is in theform of two smaller cranks 3ib and Me, to the sides of the crank 3la.Thus on one side of the engine there will be two connecting rods 30 andon the other side one.

As indicated in Figures 3 and 4 I have shown a preferred arrangement inwhich a master rod 3le has secured thereto, in a manner to permit ofrelative oscillation, a plurality of rods 30/, 309 and 30h.

Cross-head members 33 connect each pair of pistons that are on the sameside of the crankshaft and are in the same horizontal plane whichcross-head members are connected directly to the connecting rods 30. Thecross-head members 29 extend beyond their cylinders and carry, at theirends, shoes 34 movable along stationary ways 35 mounted on thesubstructure l9.

Each of the cylinders 23 is secured to the substructure I Ba at its headend and each of the cylinders 20 is secured at its central head portionto the substructure I9. Thus all of the cylinders may expand freely incrank end direction, yet the engine as a whole is secured to thesubstructure and forms therewith an integral rigid structure. By thecylinder arrangements described above the pistons are relieved ofsubstantially side thrust in their cylinders. It will be noticed thatthis arrangement will provide for a very long stroke in proportion tothe bore.

The engine disclosed is intended to operate on the two stroke cycle, andparticularly the cycle described in my co-pending application SerialNumber 507,779, flled January 10, 1931, so that a source of air pressureis needed. Therefore, adjacent the head ends 23a of cylinders 23 I haveprovided air compressor cylinders 36. These cylinder's 36 are thusjoined directly to the power cylinders 23 and lend great rigidity to theentire structure. For a complete disclosure of these air compressors andtheir operation see my copending application Serial Number 507,780,filed January 10, 1931. For the purposes of this application it willsuflice to disclose the piston rods 31 as connecting the cross headmembers 33 to double acting pistons (not shown) within the aircompressor cylinders 36. The piston rods are disclosed as bored forlubrication and the cylinders are disclosed as water-jacked but allfurther details of operation of the engine, other than those which havebeen described, have been omitted from this disclosure in the interestof clarity, as they have been fully described in the co-pendingapplications designated above. The principal features of interest of theengine as concerning this application being its great width incomparison to its height and depth, with its resulting capacity formounting within an airplane wing, its long stroke, its torque and torquerecoil damping characteristics, its rigidity and configuration ofstructure as-lending itself. admirably to the internal bracing of thewing, and its capacity for permitting expansion due to heat.

While most of this disclosure has been concerned with the description ofa single engine, or a single battery of engines operating one propellerit is obvious that any given number of combinations of such engines orbatteries of engines may be used without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

In the disclosures of Figures 6 and 7 a pusher propeller may be mountedon the end of the crank-shaft opposite that carrying the propeller l1.Or a pair of laterally spaced engines may be used as disclosed in Figure10. Or again two or more of these engines may be secured to each other,end to end as disclosed in Figure 11, this latter arrangement beingpreferred in engines of very large wing span. In Figure 11 two enginesare disclosed as having their adjacent compression cylinders 36 rigidlysecured to each other by means of asubstructure member 40 to which eachis secured fixedly. This arrangement permits the combined engine unitsto be substituted for one or more of the spars and/or ribs normallyfound within an airplane wing.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have devised an improvedstructure wherein the entire engine is installed within the lines of thewing surface, thus eliminating head resistance of the engine; mystructure is such that the engine comprises the chief internal strengthand load supporting structure of the wing, thus dispensing with thenecessity of spars, reducing weight and cost; my structure has greatlyincreased the strength and rigidity of interior wing structure and hasmoreequally distributed weight to lifting surfaces thus minimizingbending moments; and my engine provides for a long bore in proportion tostroke which lends itself particularly as adaptable for burning lowgrade fuels. Furthermore, I have provided a novel arrangement ofattaching fuel tank sections in such a manner as to reduce fire hazards.Another great advantage of the use of my device is that this highlyeflicient double-opposed engine tends to damp out and minimize torqueeffects and torque recoil, the reciprocating parts having inherentbalance.

I have described more than one arrangement of the parts of my structure,and it is obvious that other changes may be made without departing fromthe spirit of this invention, but it is my purpose to include all suchstructures as may be reasonably included as covered in the followingclaims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is- 1. In an airplaneconstruction, a fuselage, wings extending laterally therefrom, an enginein each wing extending longitudinally thereof and comprisingsubstantially the entire internal support thereof.

2. In an airplane construction, a fuselage, wings extending laterallytherefrom, and an interior wing construction for each wing comprisedsubstantially of an internal combustion engine extending longitudinallyof each wing.

3. In an airplane construction, a fuselage, wings extending laterallytherefrom, each of said wings comprised substantially of an internalcombustion engine extending longitudinally of each wing and a coveringentirely inclosing said engine.

4. In an airplane construction, a fuselage, wings extending laterallytherefrom, each of said wings being composed substantially entirely of awing covering and an internal combustion engine, said internalcombustion engine extending substantially longitudinally throughout thelength of said wing and being entirely enclosed within the covering ofthe wing.

5. In an airplane construction, a fuselage, wings extending laterallytherefrom, the interior wing structure for each wing consistingsubstantially entirely of a plurality of internal combustion engineunits, and means for rigidly securing said engine units to each other.

6. In an airplane construction, a fuselage, wings extending laterallytherefrom, a covering for each wing, the interior wing structureconsisting substantially of a plurality of internal combustion engineunits extending longitudinally of each wing, and means for rigidlysecuring each unit to the other unit and to said covering.

7. In an airplane construction, a fuselage, wings extending laterallytherefrom, a covering for each wing, a substructure interior of eachwing covering and secured thereto, internal combustion engine in eachwing rigidly secured to and enclosed within said substructure, saidsubstructure comprising a crank case for the engine.

8. In an airplane construction, a fuselage, wings extending laterallytherefrom, a covering for each wing, a substructure within each wingcovering and secured thereto, an internal combustion engine rigidlysecured to and enclosed within said

